BP slates expansion of U.K. petrochem site

BP Chemicals Ltd. announced a plan to build an additional polyethylene plant at its Grangemouth petrochemicals, refining, and crude oil processing complex near Edinburgh.

The company also confirmed a plan to build a polypropylene plant at the site, under its Appryl joint venture with Elf Atochem SA, which is owned 51% by Elf and 49% by BP.

The plants

BP said work is to begin immediately on design and construction of a linear low-density polyethylene (Lldpe) unit, with capacity to produce 300,000 metric tons/year. Plant start-up is scheduled for second quarter 2000.

Mike Buzzacott, BP Chemicals CEO for polymers and olefins worldwide, said the new plant would be a gas-phase unit incorporating BP's proprietary Innovene technology.

"The reactor will be configured for 400,000 tons/year capacity," said Buzzacott, "but we don't want to build the rest of the kit to this level immediately."

The new unit will have capability to operate with both Ziegler and metallocene catalysts. BP and Dow Chemical Co. are currently testing new jointly developed metallocene catalysts at BP's Lavera plant in France.

Meanwhile, an existing 65,000 ton/year Lldpe unit at Grangemouth will be converted for high-density polymer production.

The new Appryl unit will be the first polypropylene plant at Grangemouth. It will have an initial capacity of 250,000 tons/year and be expandable to 300,000 tons/year as demand rises. The plant is due on stream at the end of 1999.

Integration

Buzzacott said building the new polyethylene and polypropylene plants and converting the existing polyethylene unit will cost "substantially less than £200 million" ($320 million).

He said the two projects are linked and were sanctioned by the companies' boards within 5 days: "There will be an awful lot of shared facilities between the plants and integration between the project teams and contractors."

The two plants will be designed by Technip SA, Paris, and built by AMEC Process & Energy Ltd., London. Buzzacott said integration is expected to reduce capital expenditure by 20% compared with building two separate plants.

BP is currently expanding the capacity of two ethylene crackers at Grangemouth, from a combined 700,000 tons/year now to more than 1 million tons/year by 2000 (OGJ, Aug. 18, 1997, p. 15).

Buzzacott said the G4 cracker expansion is due for completion this summer, bringing its capacity to 320,000 tons/year from 270,000 tons/year. An expansion of the 450,000 tons/year KG gas cracker by 250,000-300,000 tons/ year is expected to be sanctioned in the third quarter.

Further expansion of G4 by 150,000-200,000 tons/year is planned beyond 2000, said Buzzacott: "We have talked about expanding Grangemouth's cracker capacity to 1.2 million tons/ year, but this won't be progressed before 2000."